Treadle controlled ball-tossing device



Feb. 13,1968 L. A. BRINK I TREADLE CONTROLLED BALL-TOSSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1964 INVENTOR LlOYD A. BRINK ATTORNEY L. A. BRINK TREADLE CONTROLLED BALL-TOSSING DEVICE Feb. 13, 1968 Filed June 15. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

llOYD l1. FRINK A TTORHE Y 'L. A. BRINK Feb. 13, 1968 TREADLE CONTROLLED BALL-TOSSING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. LLOYD A. BRMK Ill/II Ill/l ATTORNEY Feb. '13, 1968 L. A. BRINK TREADLE CONTROLLED BALL TOSSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15. 1964 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,368,541 TREADLE CQNTROLLED BALL-TOSSING DEVICE Lloyd A. Brink, Goidendale, Wash, assignor to Tru-Step, Inc, Goldendale, Wash, a corporation of Washington Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 330,672, Dec. 16, 1963. This application June 15, 1964, Ser. No. 375,277

12 Qiaims. (Cl. 124-7) This invention relates to a foot-controlled baseballtossing device which enables a batter to practice batting without the aid of another person. This application is a continuation-in-part of my previous application Ser. No. 330,672 filed Dec. 16, 1963, for Ball-Tossing Device, now abandoned.

It is desirable for baseball players to be able to practice batting at times other than during a ball game, but it is a problem to have the ball pitched to the batter to require him to execute actual batting motions as in a ball game without the assistance of a pitcher. Various mechanical ball-pitching devices have been proposed whi h require the batter to execute extra motions not normally made by a batter for the purpose of actuating such devices for pitching the ball. Most automatic pitching devices which are available are complex and expensive machines not readily available to batters, and particularly to amateur batters.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a ball-tossing device which is sprung to toss a ball automatically as the batter executes what should be a normal movement preliminary to batting, namely a short step forward with one foot, that is, a short lunge.

It is a further important object to provide such a tossing device which is inexpensive, compact, light and portable.

Another object is to provide a ball-tossing device which can be adjusted quickly and easily so that a ball may be tossed at a variety of angles and speeds.

It is also an object to provide an arrangement enabling the ball-tossing device to be cocked only when the batter is ready to engage in batting practice, or which can be cocked and held in cocked position without requiring it to be maintained in cocked postion by the batter and which thereafter can be tripped by the batter assuming a stance to engage in batting practice.

The ball-tossing device of the present invention includes a base on which is swingably mounted by one end a spring-actuated ball-tossing arm carrying a ball rest and a treadle having a foot rest on which pressure can be exerted by a batters foot for holding the arm cocked and for releasing the ball-tossing arm. The batter places the ball in the ball rest and presses down on the balltossing arm until its free end approaches the base. The treadle moves edgewise toward the ball-tossing arm when the batter steps onto the foot rest with a forward foot so that an edge overlies the adjacent free end of the ball-tossing arm and holds it in cocked position. When the batter is ready for the ball to be tossed, he simply steps farther forward with his leading foot off the treadle foot rest toward the pitchers box, the treadle is automatically moved reversely edgewise to release the balltossing arm and the arm is flipped up to toss the ball.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of the ball-tossing device in its cocked position as the batter is prepared to bat.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of one form of the invention in cocked position and FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of it in the act of tossing a ball.

FIGURE 4 is a plan of the tossing arm with parts broken away. FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of such arm with parts broken away.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of a different form of ice the present invention in cocked position, parts being broken away.

FIGURE 7 is a cross section taken on lines 7-7 of FIGURE 6. FIGURE 8 is an end elevation showing an alternate adjusted position of the tossing arm.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged vertical cross section through the ball rest with an alternate position shown in broken lines.

FIGURE 10 is a vertical cross section through a treadle support, and FIGURE 11 shows the support in a different position.

FIGURE 12 is a top perspective of a modified form of the ball-tossing device in its cocked position as the batter is prepared to bat.

FIGURE 13 is a plan of such modified form of the ball-tossing device.

FIGURE 14 is an edge elevation of the device in cocked position and FIGURE 15 is an edge elevation in released condition.

FIGURE 16 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on line 16-16 of FIGURE 14, parts being broken away.

FIGURES 17 and 18 are enlarged detail sections taken along line 16-16 of FIGURE 14 and FIGURES 19, 20 and 21 are similar sections of modified types of constructions.

FIGURE 22 is a detail vertical section through a support for the tossing arm.

FIGURE 23 is a fragmentary plan shown an alternate form of tossing arm for the modified ball-tossing device.

Whether a baseball batter is experienced or inexperienced, it is very desirable for him to engage in batting practice to improve his batting form. The device of the present invention is useful for both experienced and inexperienced batters, although, naturally, inexperienced batters require more practice. It is important, however, that the batting practice obtained requires the batter to employ good batting habits. One habit which especially the inexperienced batter should cultivate is that of lunging toward the ball as he swings the bat so as to increase the power of the drive on the ball when it is struck by the bat. Use of the present ball-tossing device for batting practice necessitates execution of a lunging maneuver by the batter as a prerequisite to the ball being tossed by the device.

An embodiment of the ball-tossing device, illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5 of the drawings, includes a base 1 in the form of an elongated flat plate on which is mounted an elongated ball-tossing arm 2 overlying the base with the lengths of the base and arm disposed generally parallel, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. A latching treadle 3 for controlling tossing movement of the arm 2 is also mounted on the base 1 and preferably it, like the base and balltossing arm, is of elongated shape and also is disposed with its length generally parallel to the length of the base 1 so that it will be located approximately in coplanar alignment with the tossing arm 2 when these elements are in their positions assumed preparatory to ball-tossing movement, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The ball-tossing arm 2 has a ball rest shown as the ball-receiving cup 4 mounted on its end adjacent to the substantially horizontal elongated treadle 3 and its opposite end is attached to a wedge-shaped block 5 by a hinge 6, forming the pivot about which the ball-tossing arm swings. The block 5 tapers away from the ball-tossing arm pivot and toward the treadle 3 so as to provide a space between the arm and the base. The space preferably increases somewhat in height away from the hinge 6 and toward the treadle when the ball tossing arm is in cocked position generally parallel to the base. In the space between the upper side of the wedge block 5 and the lower face of the ball-tossing arm 2 is received resiliently contractable means contractable to store the energy necessary for flipping the ball-tossing arm 2 upward about its pivot for tossing the ball B from the ball-receiving cup 4 when the arm is released from its cocked position.

In the form of device shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the resiliently contractable means is in the form of a block 7 of resilient material, such as rubber of medium hardness. Such rubber block is contracted by depression of the tossing arm 2 about its pivot from the upwardly swung position shown in FIGURE 3 into the cocked position of FIGURES l and 2. Because of the potential energy thus stored in the resilient block it is necessary to hold the balltossing arm securely in the cocked position of FIGURE 2 in opposition to the force exerted on it by the block 7 until it is desired for the ball to be tossed. The ball-tossing arm is held latched in the cocked lower position of FIG- URE 2 by engaging the adjacent end of the treadle 3 with the swinging end of the ball-tossing arm, as shown in FIGURE 2. Such engagement of the treadle end with the arm end is effected by downward and lengthwise movement of the treadle toward the ball-tossing arm until the margin of the treadle overlies the tip of the ball-tossing arm, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The lengthwise movement of the treadle 3 relative to base 1 necessary to enable the treadle to latch the balltossing arm 2 in cocked position is accomplished by mounting the treadle on the base with its length generally parallel to the length of the base by mounting means which automatically effect lengthwise shifting of the elongated treadle toward the ball-tossing arm when the treadle is depressed toward the base from a raised position. Such mounting means are shown in FIGURE 2 as two short, parallel links 8 connecting the base and treadle and swingable about axes adjacent to the base and to the treadle, respectively, which extend transversely of the length of the ball-tossing arm 2 and substantially parallel to the pivot axis of such arm. In order to insure that the treadle will move lengthwise toward the ball-tossing arm when the treadle is depressed, the upper pivot of each parallel link must be located closer to ball-tossing arm 2 than the lower pivot, as is evident from FIGURES 2 and 3.

While, theoretically, the potential energy stored in the ball-tossing arm-actuating, resiliently-contractable means 7 should be sufficient to move the treadle 3 upward for release of the ball-tossing arm 2 from cocked position when downward pressure on the treadle is released, it is preferred to provide additional positive treadle-springing means to effect prompt release of the arm from the treadle the instant that the downward holding pressure on the treadle is removed. Such positive springing means is shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 as cooperating upper and lower resiliently contractable blocks 9a and 9b and 10a and 10b mounted on the underside of the treadle 3 and on the upper side of the base 1 adjacent to the treadle-mounting links for engagement by downward movement of the treadle.

Each of the parallel links 8 may be attached to the treadle 3 and the base 1 by a leaf 8a secured to the underside of the treadle and a leaf 8b secured to the upper s'de of the base. An upper resiliently-contractable treadlespringing block 9a may be mounted beneath each upper leaf 8a adjacent to the upper pivot of each link 8 which is engageable with a lower springing block 9b mounted on the upper side of the base 1 in registry with the element 9a when the treadle is in the depressed position shown in FIGURE 2. At the opposite side of each link 8 a lower resiliently-contractable springing block 1012 can be mounted in a position overlying the lower leaf 8b adjacent to the lower link pivot, and an upper resiliently-contractable springing block 10a can be mounted on the underside of the treadle 3 in position for engagement with the block 1% as the treadle is depressed toward the base into position for holding the ball-tossing arm 2 in cocked position.

It will be evident that, as the treadle 3 is moved from the position of FIGURE 3 toward the ball-tossing armcocked position of FIGURE 2, the upper resilient springing blocks 9a and 10a will first engage the lower springing blocks 91] and 1%, respectively; and then these blocks will be contracted by further downward movement of the treadle into cocked position so as to produce a force in conjunction with that of block 7 acting on the ball-tossing arm 2 urging the treadle upwardly away from the base substantially equal to the downward force exerted by the batters foot F on the upper side of the base. The degree of downward movement of the treadle 3 necessary to balance the upward resilient force against the pressure of the foot on the treadle foot rest will depend on the hardness of the rubber or other material of which the blocks 9a, 9b, 10a and 10b are made and their area of contact.

The pressure of the foot F downward can balance the upward force produced by the resilient springing blocks and the means 7 urging the ball-tossing arm 2 upward using springing means at only one side of each link 8, or even on only one side of one of the links 8 if the block is of suflicient area and sufficient hardness. Also, if desired, a single block can replace the upper and lower cooperating blocks 9a and 9b or 10a and 1012, being mounted either on the upper side of the base 1 or on the underside of the treadle 3, as may be desired. The arrangement of the springing blocks is thus flexible, the important consideration being to provide an arrangement of resilient springing means which will snap the treadle 3 abruptly upward and edgewise away from the ball-tossing arm 2 to release the end of such arm the instant that the batters foot is removed from the treadle. Lengthwise movement of the treadle away from the ball-tossing arm 2 effected by expansion of the springing means is limited by engagement of the end of such treadle remote from the balltossing arm with a stop block 11 shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. This stop block is located on the base 1 to interrupt lengthwise movement of the treadle before the upper pivots of the links 8 reach a position overlying the lower pivots of such links, respectively, so that when pressure is subsequently exerted downward on the treadle 3 it will be moved lengthwise toward the ball-tossing arm by swinging of the treadle mounting links.

When the ball-tossing device is to be used, the batter will grasp the ball-tossing arm 2 and swing its free end downward about the pivot axis of hinge 6 toward the base 1 until the swinging end of such arm is below the adjacent edge of the treadle 3. Holding the ball-tossing arm in this position, the batter places his forward foot F on the treadle foot rest and exerts sufiicient pressure on it so that the treadle will be shifted lengthwise toward the ball-tossing arm by the parallel links 8 until the end of the treadle adjacent to the ball-tossing arm overlies its swinging end in the manner shown in FIGURE 2 to hold the ball-tossing arm in cocked position. The batter then places a ball B in the ball-receiving cup 4 and, while maintaining the pressure of his foot on the treadle foot rest, straightens up into batting position. When he is ready to bat, the batter lunges forward a short distance, stepping his forward foot F off the treadle foot rest, as indicated by broken lines in FIGURE 1. When the downward pressure on the treadle is thus abruptly relieved, the resiliently contractable means interengaged between the base and the treadle will snap the treadle upward instantaneously, thus springing the ball-tossing arm. Thereupon, the released ball-tossing arm will be flipped upward by the force stored in the contracted block 7 so as to toss the ball upward alongside the batter into a position enabling the batter to hit the ball.

It will be evident from FIGURE 1 that the ball-tossing device is symmetrical about a central, vertical longitudinal plane through the device. Consequently, the device may be placed in a position such that the treadle 3 is located at either side of the ball-receiving cup 4 which represents the location of home plate. In either instance the length of the elongated ball-tossing arm 2 and base 1 will extend transversely of a line connecting the ball cup 4, representing home plate, and the assumed position of the pitchers box. Moreover, it is preferred that the treadle 3 be considerably elongated lengthwise of the base 1 and tossing arm 2, so that the device can be manipulated equally well whether the batter stands closer to or farther from the ball-receiving cup 4, representing home plate.

The force with which the ball is tossed upward by upward flipping of the ball-tossing arm 2 depends upon the horizontal cross-sectional area of the resilient block 7, its hardness and its vertical thickness relative to the space between the wedge 5 and the lower surface of the ball-tossing arm 2 at its particular location lengthwise of such arm. In general it will be desirable for the ball to be tossed higher for a tall batter than for a short one. Consequently, it is desirable for the device to be adjustable to vary the upward force exerted on the tossing arm when it is released by the treadle. In the device of FIGURES 2 and 3, the block 7 is shown as be ing permanently attached to the upper surface of the wedge 5 adjacent to the pivoted end of the arm 2.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show an alternative form of mounting for the resilient block 7 enabling its position to be adjusted lengthwise of the ball-tossing arm 2 for varying the amount of upward force which it exerts on the balltossing arm in accordance with varying requirements of the batter. Instead of the block 7 being attached directly to the upper surface of the wedge 5, it is bonded to the upper surface of a mounting plate 12 having one or more pins 13 projecting downward from its bottom. As shown in FIGURE 4, two such pins are provided spaced transversely of the length of the ball-tossing arm 2 which are engageable in correspondingly spaced apertures 14 so as to prevent rotational movement of the block about an upright axis, as well as sliding of the block along the wedge 5 away from the hinge 6. Rows of correspondingly spaced apertures 14 extending parallel to the tossing arm are provided to enable the block 7 to be secured in any of various positions spaced from the hinge 6 so that such block will not slide away from such hinge as the balltossing arm is swung downward to exert pressure on such block.

If the resilient block 7 is mounted on the wedge 5 closer to the hinge 6, it will be contracted to a greater extent when the ball-tossing arm is swung downward into the cocked position of FIGURE 2 than if the block is located farther from the hinge. Consequently, the block will exert a proportionately greater force on the arm in such position closer to the hinge than it will exert in such more remote position. When the ball-tossing arm is sprung, therefore, it will be swung upward with a proportionately greater force when the block is closer to the hinge than when it is in a position farther from the hinge.

Alternatively, instead of the location of the block 7 relative to the hinge being altered, such block can be exchanged for a block located in the same position but of different area, or different thickness, or made of harder or softer rubber. By any of these expedients the batter can alter the flipping moment exerted by the block on the ball-tossing arm to alter correspondingly the speed at which the ball is tossed and the height to which it is tossed, according to his desires. The removability of the resilient block also facilitates storage of the device because, with the block removed, the arm 2 will lie in engagement with the upper surface of the wedge 5 instead of being held in a position raised upward from the wedge by the resiliently-contractable block.

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 show a modified form of the invention in which the upward force on the ball-tossing arm 2 is produced by resiliently-contractable means in the form of a helical compression spring 15 instead of a contractable rubber block. The lower end of such spring is secured to the base 1 by a bolt 16 which will fit in any one of the holes 17 in a row extending lengthwise of the ball-tossing arm 2 so as to enable the spring to be shifted toward or away from the arm pivot to vary the force exerted on the arm. The upper end of the spring fits in a channel 18 mounted on the underside of the arm 2 with its length extending lengthwise of such arm and parallel to the row of apertures 17.

In addition to varying the force on the ball-tossing arm 2 effecting its upward movement, it may be desirable to vary the direction in which the ball is tossed, to enable the batter to practice hitting balls in different locations, as well as balls moving at different speeds. The mounting structure for the pivoted end of the balltossing arm 2, shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, enables the path in which the ball is tossed to be varied toward or away from the assumed position of the pitchers box, that is, transversely of the ball-tossing arm 2, and in various positions transversely of a line joining home plate and the pitchers box, that is, lengthwise of the base 1 and the ball-tossing arm 2. Also the arm support may be altered to change the upward path of the ball in both of these senses so that, in effect, the location of the upwardly moving path of the ball can be varied universally.

Variation in the path in which the ball is tossed is accomplished by altering the position of the pivot rod 611 inserted through the tubular end 2a of the balltossing arm. Opposite ends of such pivot rod are tiltably mounted on posts 19 which are slidably received in upright tubes 20 anchored to the base 1. Cotter pins 21 extend through apertures in the tubes 20 and through a selected one of a plurality of parallel apertures extending through the posts 19 transversely of their lengths. If the posts 19 are moved upward relative to the tubes 20 to raise the pivot rod 6a, the ball-tossing arm 2 in being flipped upward will toss a ball closer to the batter, whereas, if this pivot rod is lowered, upward flipping of the arm will toss the ball in a path farther from the batter. If the pivot rod is thus raised or lowered, it may be desirable to adjust the position of spring 15 toward or away from the pivoted end of the ball-tossing arm to maintain the force of the spring on the arm reasonably constant despite such eievational adjustment of the pivot rod.

The opposite ends of the pivot rod 6a preferably are connected to the posts 19 by a clevis joint and connecting pin .23 so that the angle between the pivot rod and such respective posts can be altered. Such a connection will enable one of the posts 19, such as the left post shown in FIGURE 8, to be higher than the other post. Such unequal projection of the posts will cause the balltossing'arm to be tilted transversely of its length, as shown in FIGURE 8, so that the swinging end of the tball-tossing arm will not move in a precisely vertical path as the swinging end of the arm is flipped upward, but the path of the ball will be displaced from vertical in the direction toward which the pivot rod is tilted. The more that the pivot rod is tilted from horizontal position, the greater will be the departure of the path of the ball from a vertical line. It will also be evident that the pivot rod can be tilted to a greater or lesser extent in one direction or the other transversely of the length of the balltossing arm to alter the path of the ball toward or away from the pitchers box and, at the same time, the height of both posts 19 can be raised or lowered to alter the path of the ball lengthwise 0f the ball-tossing arm.

In addition to adjusting the position and attitude of the pivot rod 611 for the ball-tossing arm, as described above, the ball-receiving cup 4 can be of canted structure, as shown in FIGURE 9, and such cup can be rotated about the axis of its securing bolt into any of various rotative positions to .alter the attitude of the ball relative to the ball-tossing arm. Such disposition of the cup may also affect the path along which the ball is tossed upward by flipping of the balltossing arm.

In order for the baseball B to be tossed upward abruptly by the ball-tossing device, the resiliently-contractable block 7 or compression spring 15 must be capable of exerting a reasonably great force on the ball-tossing arm 2. The tendency of such force will be to swing the balltossing arm about its pivot 6 through an angle which probably would exceed 90 degrees so that the ball-tossing arm would be swung into a position extending oppositely to the base 1. Such disposition of the ball-tossing arm would require that the batter swing the arm back into a position like that shown in FIGURE 3 before it could be cocked again to toss another ball. Such extra manipulation of the ball-tossing arm can be rendered unnecessary by connecting the swinging end portion of the balltossing arm 2 and the base 1 by a cord 24, shown in FIGURE 3, which limits the upward swinging movement of the arm relative to the base. Preferably, this cord is stretchable so that upward swinging of the arm will not be snubbed too abruptly. It is not undesirable for upward movement of the arm to be limited in a position in which block 7, as shown in FIGURE 3, or the compression spring 15 of FIGURE 6, will be in somewhat contracted relationship instead of being relaxed completely.

An alternative type of treadle-tripping means is shown in FIGURES and 11. The link 25 connecting the treadle 3 and the base 1 shown in these figures is secured to the treadle and to the base, respectively, by an upper leaf 25a and a lower leaf 251) which can be bolted to such elements as shown. The link 25 and the leaves 25a and 2512 can be embedded completely in a resiliently deformable block 26 of material such as rubber. When the material of this block is in relaxed condition, the block is of rectangular cross section, as shown in FIG- URE 10, and the link 25 extends more or less diagonally through the block. The upper pivot between link 25 and the leaf 25a under these conditions will be located closer to the ball-tossing arm 2 than the pivot between the lower end of such link and the leaf 251) secured to the base 1.

When the pressure of the batters foot F presses downward on the treadle 3, the relative locations of the link pivots will effect edgewise movement of the treadle to the left, such as from the position shown in FIGURE 10 to that of FIGURE 11, enabling the edge portion of the treadle to engage the swinging end of the ball-tossing arm in arm-cocked relationship, as shown in FIGURE 6. When the rubber block 26 is thus deformed into a configuration such as shown in FIGURE 11, its material will be stressed so that, the instant that downward pressure on the treadle 3 is relieved by the batter stepping off the treadle and lunging toward the ball, the stresses in the block 26 will act to restore the block to the shape of FIGURE 10 and shown in broken lines in FIGURE 6. By such movement the ball-tossing arm 2 will be sprung so that its swinging end will be released to enable the resiliently contractable arm-flipping means to flip the arm 2 from the position of FIGURE 2 into the position of FIGURE 3 to toss the ball.

The ball-tossing device of modified construction shown in FIGURES 12 to 21 includes a ball-tossing arm in the form of a U-shaped wire loop 2'. The bend of this loop is of a width less than the diameter of a baseball so that the bend itself forms a rest for the ball B as shown in FIGURE 14. The wire of which the loop 2' is made is quite heavy and stiff so that it has considerable resilience. By curling opposite sides of the loop in a single convolution 2b, as shown in FIGURES 12, 14 and 15 in particular, helical springs integral with the wire loop are formed which will produce sufficient force to toss the ball for batting practice when the arm is released.

The ball-tossing device of FIGURES 12 and 13 is provided with a catch for holding the ball-tossing arm in cocked position, even when pressure is not exerted on the treadle. Such catch is formed by the hook 27, shown in FIGURES 17 and 18 as being swingably mounted by a pivot rod 28 to engage a depression in the center of the bend forming the end of the tossing arm loop 2. Such pivot is mounted in a recess in the base 1 and a helical compression spring 29 seated in such recess bears up- 8 ward against the bottom of hook 27 to urge it toward the arm-latched position shown in FIGURE 17.

The ball-tossing arm loop 2' can be cocked simply by depressing the arm until its bend engages the curved upper side of hook 27. Continued pressure on the loop will cause the depression in its bend to force the hook downward while swinging toward the arm-supporting end of the base 1 until the bend slips past the tip of the hook, whereupon the spring 29 will snap the hook upward from the position of FIGURE 18 to the position of FIGURE 17 to engage the loop bends depression, as shown in FIGURE 17, to hold the loop in cocked position.

When a batter engages in batting practice, he places his foot on the treadle 3' in the same manner as shown and described in connection with FIGURE 1. In this instance, however, the treadle is narrower than the treadle 3 of FIGURE 1 and is mounted in a groove in the upper side of the base. The weight of the batter depresses the treadle 3 from the position shown in FIGURE 17 and in broken lines in FIGURE 18 into the position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 18. The treadle 3 is supported by parallel links 8' spaced lengthwise of the treadle and base, as shown in FIGURE 16.

As the treadle 3' is depressed by the weight of the batters foot, swinging of the parallel links 8 will shift the treadle edgewise in the direction of its length so that its end adjacent to the ball-tossing arm will engage the hook 2'7 and move it to the left, as seen in FIGURE 17, into the unlatched position of FIGURE 18. Such movement of the treadle will not spring the ball-tossing arm 2 because, as seen in FIGURE 18, the end of the treadle will overlie the bend of the loop and hold it in cocked position. When the batter steps off the treadle, however, moving his foot from the solid line position of FIGURE 12 into the broken line position as he steps into the ball, the treadle 3' will be snapped upward into its raised position by the tension spring 30 shown in FIGURE 16 as being connected between the bottom of the treadle 3' and the bottom of the groove in the base. Retracting movement of the treadle under the influence of the spring 30 will be terminated by engagement of the heel 31 of the treadle with the end of the groove in the base 1, as shown at the right of FIGURE 16.

It will be understood that it is not necessary to provide a catch for the wire loop arm 2 as has been discussed above because the wire loop can simply be held in cocked position by the toe of the treadle 3' in the manner described in connection with FIGURES 2 and 3 and as shown in FIGURE 14. Whether or not a catch is provided, the ball-tossing arm is sprung by the batter stepping off the treadle, whereupon the resilience of the convolutions 2b will swing the ball-tossing arm 2 upward from the position of FIGURE 14 to that of FIGURE 15 to toss the ball B into position to be struck by the bat.

FIGURE 19 shows an alternative type of ball-tossing arm loop catch in which the hook 27 is reciprocable along a path parallel to the base 1 instead of being swingable relative to it. In this instance the hook is mounted on the end of a slide 31 which is reciprocable in the guide 32. Such slide is urged to the right, as seen in FIGURE 19, by the helical compression spring 33. The movement of the slide to the right is terminated by engagement of its hook end with a stop 34 secured to the base. This hook is tripped by the toe of the treadle 3 in the same way as explained in connection with the hook 27 shown in FIG- URES 17 and 18, the hook 27' being moved from the solid line position of FIGURE 19 into the broken line position by engagement of the treadle toe. The ball-tossing arm would then be sprung in the manner previously explained by the batter stepping forward off the treadle.

In FIGURES 20 and 21 a different form of catch is shown. In this instance a hook 27" is secured by a flexible strap 31 to the toe portion of the treadle 3' in a position underlying such toe portion. The hook extends upwardly from the free end of such cantilever strap and has a bent tip adjacent to and somewhat underlying the toe of the treadle. When the treadle is in the upper position shown in FIGURE 16, the tip of the hook 27" will extend toward the ball-tossing arm 2 sufliciently far so that, when such arm is pressed downward into the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 20, its bend will engage the tip of the latch hook. Further pressure downward on the ball-tossing arm will cause its bend to press against the bent end of the hook and wedge such hook and, consequently, the treadle 3', toward the ball-tossing arm as the loop slips down over the upper portion of the hook and under the toe of the treadle 3' to approach its cocked position of FIGURE 20.

As the bend of the ball-tossing arm 2' is pressed downward still farther it will slip into registry with the groove portion of the hook 27", whereupon the spring 30 of the treadle will raise and retract the treadle sufiiciently to engage the bend 2 of the ball-tossing arm securely in the groove of the hook as shown in FIGURE 20. When the batter is ready to bat, he will step firmly on the treadle, as indicated in FIGURE 12, which will depress the treadle and slide it lengthwise toward the ball-tossing arm. Such movement of the treadle, as indicated in FIGURE 21, will slide the hook 27" forward until the groove moves beyond the bend of the ball-tossing arm, whereupon the arm will be raised by its spring action into engagement with the underside of the treadle toe. Such engagement of the treadle toe will continue to retain the ball-tossing arm in cocked position. When the batter steps off the treadle, however, the spring 30 will move the treadle upward to retract the toe from a position overlying the loop of the ball-tossing arm, as indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 21. The ball-tossing arm will thus be released to move upward through the broken line position shown in FIGURE 21 into the full line position of FIGURE 15, by which movement the ball is tossed.

As has been discussed in connection with the device shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, it may be desirable to alter the mounting of the ball-tossing arm so as to change the upward path along which the ball is tossed. The wire loop type of ball-tossing arm shown in FIGURES 12 to 23 can be adjusted for this purpose. The downwardly projecting ends 35 of the ball-tossing arm loop 2 are slidably received in externally threaded anchor tubes 36. Such loop ends can be secured in various elevated positions by loosening the wing nut 37, adjusting the position of the wire end 35 and again tightening the wing nut.

As has been mentioned previously, if it is desired for the ball to be tossed outward somewhat, the support for the ball-tossing arm should be lowered, such as by the ends 35 being moved downward in the tubes 36. On the other hand, if it is desired to toss the ball closer to the batter, the ends 35 should be raised in the tubes 36 and reclamped. Also, if it is desired for the ball to be tossed farther away from where the pitchers box would be located, the end 35 toward the pitchers box should be raised and the end 35 farther from the pitchers box should be lowered. Alternatively, if it is desired to toss the ball closer to the pitchers box, the wire 35 closer to such box should be lowered while the wire farther from the box should be raised.

The arrangement shown in FIGURE 23 can also be utilized to toss the ball closer to or farther from the pitchers box. In this instance, the bend of the ball-tossing arm loop has in it depressions at opposite sides of the bend center and may or may not have a center depression. When the arm is cocked with the catch 27, 27' or 27 engaged with the side depression closer to the pitchers box, springing of the arm will toss the ball in a path closer to the pitchers box. On the other hand, if the catch is engaged with the depression of the bend farther from the pitchers box, as shown in broken lines in FIG- URE 23, the ball will be tossed upward along a path farther away from the pitchers box when the arm is sprung.

To provide a reference for the batters position, a simulated home plate attachment 38 may be secured by pins and sockets to the side of the base 1 at which the batter will stand. If the batter is left-handed, the home base attachment can be removed and attached to the opposite side of the base and the base will be swung end-for-end while the batter will stand at the same side of the base.

The base 1, ball-tossing arm 2 and treadle 3 can all be made of plywood, for example, or alternatively some or all of these parts can be made of fabricated, stamped or cast metal. A very suitable construction for these parts is sheet aluminum material reinforced by edge flanges and/or reinforcing ribs as may be necessary to provide suflicient stiffness. Such a construction is strong and durable While being of light weight.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for tossing a ball to be struck by a batter, comprising ball-tossing means including a ball-tossing member movable from a lowered position into a raised position to toss a ball and drive means for exerting a force on said ball-tossing member to move it from such lowered position into such raised position to toss a ball, treadle means separate from said ball-tossing means and having a substantially horizontal foot rest for the foot of a batter in batting stance, and means guiding said treadle means for elevational movement relative to said balltossing member in its lowered position between a depressed position engaged with said ball-tossing member to hold it cocked in its lowered position by downward pressure of a batters foot on said foot rest in opposition to the force exerted on said ball-tossing member by said drive means and an elevated position into which said treadle means are moved upon removal of the batters foot from said foot rest for releasing said ball-tossing member to move relative to said treadle means into its raised position to toss a ball to be struck by the batter.

Z. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, in which the drive means includes a rubbery block urging the balltossing arm to swing about it pivot axis in a direction to move the ball-tossing means upward.

3. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, in which the ball-tossing means is a wire loop and the drive means includes coil spring means formed integral with said wire loop.

4. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, in which the ball-tossing member includes a wire loop engageable by the ball.

5. The device defined in claim 1, in which the balltossing means includes pivot means mounting the balltossing member for swinging about a generally horizontal axis, and means supporting said pivot means for altering its elevation.

6. The device defined in claim 1, in which the balltossing member is elongated, the ball-tossing means includes pivot means mounting the ball-tossing member for swinging about a generally horizontal axis, and means supporting said pivot means for tilting the pivot means axis transversely of the length of the ball-tossing member.

7. The device defined in claim 1, and means operable to vary the force exerted by the drive means on the balltossing member.

8. A batting practice device for tossing a ball to be struck by a batter, comprising an elongated base disposed with its length substantially horizontal, an elongated balltossing arm, pivot means connecting an end portion of said arm to said base to dispose said arm overlying said base in generally horizontal position when cocked, a ball-receiving cup carried by said arm at a location spaced from said pivot means, resiliently-contractable means engaged between said base and said ball-tossing arm and spaced from said pivot means for exerting an upward swinging force on said arm, an elongated substantially horizontal treadle separate from said ball-tossing arm and overlying said base with the length of said treadle generally parallel to the length of said base and the length of said treadle also generally in alignment with the length of said ball-tossing arm in cocked position, with one end of said treadle adjacent to the swinging end of said balltossing arm in cocked position and engageable in latching engagement with such ball-tossing arm when in its cocked position to hold said arm in cocked position, and means guiding said treadle for endwise movement from arm-latching position upward and lengthwise away from said arm to release it from cocked position for upward ball-tossing movement.

9. The device defined in claim 8, in which the treadleguiding means includes parallel links connecting the treadle and the base and guiding the treadle for elevational movement relative to the base.

10. The device defined in claim 8, and resilientlydeformable means engaged betweenthe base and the treadle and operable to urge the treadle lengthwise away from the ball-tossing arm for releasing it from cocked position.

11. A device for tossing a ball to be struck by a batter, comprising an elongated base, a ball-tossing arm, pivot means connecting an end portion of said arm to said base to dispose said arm overlying said base in a lowered position, a ball rest carried by said arm at a location spaced from said pivot means, an elongated treadle separate from said ball-tossing arm, overlying said base in a position generally parallel thereto and having one end adjacent to the swinging end of said ball-tossing arm engageable in latching engagement with said ball-tossing arm to hold its swinging end normally for maintaining said arm in its lowered position, resilient means exerting an upward swinging force on said arm, and means guiding said treadle for elevational movement relative to said arm in its lowered position from arm-latching position upward and endwise away from said ball-tossing arm to release said arm for upward ball-tossing swinging movement.

12. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 11, in which the arm includes a wire loop, and catch means engageable with the bend of the wire loop for holding the ball-tossing arm in its lowered position and disengageable from the wire loop by engagement of the treadle therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,149 10/1884 Teipel et al. 124-7 817,928 4/1906 Medley 273 X 1,785,876 12/1930 Pilates 124-7 X 1,912,360 6/1933 Blanchard 1247 2,037,416 4/1936 Hull 12 1-7 2,705,003 3/1955 Schensted 273-26 X 2,711,321 6/1955 McGraw 273201 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

T. ZACK, LOUIS J. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiners. 

8. A BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE FOR TOSSING A BALL TO BE STRUCK BY A BATTER, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BASE DISPOSED WITH ITS LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL, AN ELONGATED BALLTOSSING ARM, PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING AN END PORTION OF SAID ARM TO SAID BASE TO DISPOSE SAID ARM OVERLYING SAID BASE IN GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEN COCKED, A BALL-RECEIVING CUP CARRIED BY SAID ARM AT A LOCATION SPACED FROM SAID PIVOT MEANS, RESILIENTLY-CONTRACTABLE MEANS ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID BASE AND SAID BALL- TOSSING ARM AND SPACED FROM SAID PIVOT MEANS FOR EXERTING AN UPWARD SWINGING FORCE ON SAID ARM, AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL TREADLE SEPARATE FROM SAID BALL- TOSSING ARM AND OVERLYING SAID BASE WITH THE LENGTH OF SAID TREADLE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID BASE AND THE LENGTH OF SAID TREADLE ALSO GENERALLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE LENGTH OF SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM IN COCKED POSITION, WITH ONE END OF SAID TREADLE ADJACENT TO THE SWINGING END OF SAID BALLTOSSING ARM IN COCKED POSITION AND ENGAGEABLE IN LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SUCH BALL-TOSSING ARM WHEN IN ITS COCKED POSITION TO HOLD SAID ARM IN COCKED POSITION, AND MEANS GUIDING SAID TREADLE FOR ENDWISE MOVEMENT FROM ARM-LATCHING POSITION UPWARD AND LENGTHWISE AWAY FROM SAID ARM TO RELEASE IT FROM COCKED POSITION FOR UPWARD BALL-TOSSING MOVEMENT. 